Martin seamlessly blended his wacky wit - which made him a global star as a comedian and filmmaker - with his considerable skills on the five-string acoustic instrument as he and the Steep Canyon Rangers prompted lots of joyful hootin', hollerin', clapping and laughing from a near-sell-out audience at Stockton's 2,086-seat Bob Hope Theatre on Saturday night.

Martin, 68, and the six-man Brevard, N.C.-based Rangers - each winners of bluegrass Grammy Awards - enthralled the cross-generational crowd with a 17-song, 100-minute show that amply demonstrated why they're so highly regarded.

"Hello, Stockton," said Martin after they opened the show with "Katy Mae," a prime example of their bluegrass brilliance. "No, not the city. I meant my friend. John Stockton."

"I can't possibly tell you how excited I am to perform for you and your cellphones."

With precision, passion and playfulness, Martin and the group played a mixture of instrumentals and vocal tunes laced with three-, four- and five-part harmonies - songs written by Martin, tunes from the rich bluegrass canon and three originals by the Rangers - Graham Sharp (banjo), Woody Platt (guitar), Mike Guggino (mandolin), Charles R. Humphrey III (bass), Nicky Sanders (fiddle) and newest member Michael Ashworth, a percussionist, a rarity in purist bluegrass music.

The Martin-written songs were sprinkled with his trademark humor. There were no arrows through the head or "King Tut" props, for which he expressed feigned gratitude.

However, his familiar "aw-shucks, who me?" riff followed Martin's expression of amazement that he was playing in a "beautiful" venue named for Hope, one of his role models.

Contact Tony Sauro at (209) 546-8267 or tsauro@recordnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsaurorecord.